A Change Of Heart
by xTotallyxTroyellax
Summary: SNICKERS - Sara has completely fallen for her best friend. Only problem is he has a reputation for being a womanizer. Hints of Grillows
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, although I do with I owned CSI, because then things would have turned out a lot differently. Oh, and I wouldn't mind owning George Eads either. =)**

A Change Of Heart - Chapter 1

"I want a change in shift."

Grissom looked up from his paperwork to see a very irritated Sara Sidle standing in his office. Adjusting his glasses, Grissom sat up a little straighter before responding to Sara.

" Can I ask why?"

Sara folded her arms over her chest and just stared at her supervisor. " I'm not really sure that's any of your business." Grissom leaned forward in his chair, putting his hands up into the air. " I'm afraid I can't authorize a change in shift unless you give me a reason." Without warning, Sara placed her hands on Grissom's desk and leaned forward. Grissom seemed to be unfazed, although he was quite certain he had never seen Sara Sidle looking as ferocious as she did now.

" Grissom, I need you to trust me on this one."

Grissom looked at Sara, almost trying to read past her anger. If he expected Sara to give him some kind of help, Sara certainly hadn't gotten the memo. " I'll consider it." Sara moved her hands off of Grissom's desk and took a few steps back before uttering a reply.

" That's all I'm asking for Griss."

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Sara left her supervisor's office and headed in the direction of the break room. If it had been anyone but socially inept Grissom, they may have understood the current predicament she found herself in. It wasn't that she wanted to leave the Graveyard Shift; she actually considered them all to be like her family. Catherine and she had gotten over their differences and had formed an unbreakable bond. Warrick was like an older brother who was constantly on the lookout for her best interests while Greg was perfect for a laugh when she was having a particularly hard day. HE was the problem. Nick Stokes with his charming smile and his good looks and radiant personality. He was her best friend, sure enough. So what exactly was the problem? Well, for one thing, the feelings she now held for him were not the way one should feel towards their best friend. If she was willing to be honest with herself, she was in love with that man. Only problem was she knew for certain that Nick did not feel the same way. It was no secret to anyone in the lab about the Texan's womanizing nature. Being Nick's best fried, it wasn't uncommon for Sara to hear about the latest fling of the month. Unbeknownst to Nick, every time he chatted with her about his new girl, Sara's heart broke a little. She was so tired of coming to work in a good mood only to have her smile falter when she sees him in the hall with the new DNA tech or the receptionist.

As she approached the break room, she was relieved to discover Catherine with the latest issue of Cosmo in her hand and a cup of Greg's Blue Hawaiian to her lips. Sara entered the break room causing Catherine to look up from her magazine.

"Hey Sara."

Sara offered a quick reply back before moving over to the coffee machine and pouring herself her own cup of coffee. She heard Catherine set her coffee cup on the table as well as what she presumed was her magazine.

"I saw you head into Grissom's office earlier. Anything I should know about?"

Sara had to let out a small smile before she turned around to face her co-worker, nestling her coffee cup in her hands. " I hope you aren't implying what I think you are implying." Catherine gave her friend a smile as Sara took the seat across from her at the table. " Just wondering if I have any competition." Sara took a sip of her coffee then proceeded to shake her head at Catherine. " He's all yours Cath. You've got nothing to worry about." Catherine smiled before readjusting herself in her to chair to face Sara fully. " How are things going with…"

" The same as usual. He's been seeing Nora, a cocktail waitress at the Tangiers," Sara cut Catherine off before she could even finish her question. Catherine made a face before picking up her magazine again. " So what does this Nora girl have that you don't?" Sara sighed before looking into her coffee cup. " She's incredibly tall, blonde, beautiful…and has the brain the size of a peanut." Catherine moved her magazine so she could see Sara fully. " You've got to be kidding me." Sara looked back up at Catherine with a sad smile plastered on her face. " I wish I was." Catherine rolled her eyes before pulling her magazine back up. " Sounds like Nicky has really lowered his standards." Sara scoffed before she replied. " Nick has always kept his standards low. I don't think he knows that he deserves so much better."

"He'll open his eyes one of these days and see what's been right in front of him all along," Catherine stated, taking another sip of her coffee. "About that Cath, I actually…"

" Good evening ladies," Warrick said as he walked into the break room. " Hey Warrick." Warrick began to fill his coffee when he noticed that both women had stopped talking. " Was I interrupting something?" Catherine opened her mouth to speak, but Sara beat her to it. " Don't worry about it. It's nothing we can't finish later." Catherine raised an eyebrow at Sara who simply proceeded to shrug her shoulders in return. Moments later, Grissom entered the room with slips of papers in his hand. " Assignments," he started looking around the room. A confused look crossed his face as he looked at the rest of his team. " Where is Nick?"

Just as Grissom finished talking, Nick skidded into the room looking rather unkempt. " Sorry Griss, overslept." Catherine rolled her eyes before leaning across the table to Sara. " I'll bet that wasn't all he was doing." Sara gave Catherine a weak smile before everyone turned their attention back to Grissom.

" Nice of you to join us Nick."

Nick gave a sheepish look before filling up his coffee cup and taking the seat next to Sara. " I just had the most incredible night!" Sara gave him an irritated look that didn't go unnoticed by Nick. " I can see that." Sara then turned her attention back to their supervisor.

"Catherine, you and I have a DB out in Henderson. Warrick, you need to finish up your hit and run case from last night. Nick and Sara, you also have a DB at the Tangiers. Brass is already there waiting for you." As the rest of the team exited the room, Sara slouched down farther into her seat. Not only would she have to work with Nick tonight but she would have to see him flirt shamelessly with the flavor of the week since the body was located at her place of employment. Nick gave Sara a small nudge with his elbow before getting out of his seat.

" Looks like its you and me, Sunshine. I'm driving."

Sara slowly moved out of her seat, cursing the fact that she hadn't forced Grissom to change her shift on the spot.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing, although I guess I technically own Sonia, Mitchell, and Nora however that is besides the point. I still wish I owned George Eads...**

The ride over to the Tangiers was one filled with silence. Sara wasn't in the mood to hear about Nick's date and Nick didn't want to cause her to become even more irritated than she already was. He honestly wasn't sure what he had done wrong to get Sara into the state she was in. As they pulled into the parking lot, Sara quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her field kit, and exited the vehicle almost as soon as the car was stopped. Nick let out an audible sigh before grabbing his own field kit and exiting the Denali. He spotted Sara a few feet ahead and started to jog to catch up.

"Whoa there darlin', where's the fire?"

Sara continued to walk straight ahead, trying her best to not acknowledge the man next to her. She felt Nick take a hold of her elbow, forcing her to stop her forward movement. " What has gotten into you?" Sara turned to look at her friend, unsurprised to see the concern etched into his face. She hated the fact that she was the sole reason concern was accenting his features rather than the twinkle in his eye and the teasing smile he normally wore.

" This is a crime scene Nick. This is neither the time nor the place for this."

Nick knew she was right, but he also knew that her mood could impair the quality of not only her work, but his as well. " Then let's make the time Sar. The body isn't going anywhere. What's got you so worked up?" Sara's face softened a little but not by much. " I'm not sure that's really any of your business Stokes." She then proceeded to yank her elbow out of Nick's firm but gentle grasp and continued to walk towards the entrance to the Tangiers.

Nick did a full 360 before letting out a frustrated moan. If that was the way she wanted to play it, two could easily play that game.

" Fine Sidle, if you want to build your walls, that's fine with me, but you better get whatever stick is up your ass out before we get into that crime scene."

Sara held up her hand to acknowledge the fact that she had heard Nick before ducking her head under the caution tape and approaching Brass.

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" What've we got?"

Brass gave a nod with his head, and Sara followed as she listened to what the captain had to say. " I know weddings are supposed to be a lot of fun, but this wasn't the type of fun I had pictured." He led Sara into a grand-looking ballroom decked out in white and purple decorations, the obvious makings of a wedding reception. There were a few people left in the room, many clad in black tuxes and long purple gowns; the wedding party. Sara looked around before turning to Brass. "Where are the bride and groom?" Brass pointed with his finger to the large wedding party table. Sara approached cautiously before peeking over the table. There, lying in a pool of his own blood was the groom.

" Mitchell Park, age 27, three gunshot wounds to the chest."

Sara took another look at the groom before turning her attention to Brass who was now also leaning over the table. " Looks like a real blast. Where is the bride?" Brass tore his gaze from the victim to respond to Sara's question. " Up in her room on the 10th floor. Apparently, she burst into tears at the sight and has yet to unlock her door." Sara nodded before turning her head to survey the room. She spotted Nick flashing his badge to one of the officers before approaching Jim and Sara.

"Looks like a party. What happened?"

"Ask her to fill you in. I've got a wedding party to question." Brass gave a little wave of the hand before leaving the two CSIs alone. Nick then peered over the table and said, " So what am I looking at?" Sara moved past him to the other side of the table where the groom lay. " Wedding gone horribly wrong. This is Mitchell Park. He was the groom." Nick also surveyed the room before turning his attention back to Sara. "Where's his new wife?" Sara leaned down to get a better look at the body, careful not to touch anything until David arrived. "Brass said she's locked herself in her room and is refusing to come out."

"Think she has something to hide?"

Sara leaned up from her current position and looked at Nick. "Maybe. It's either that or she really is torn apart about the death of her husband." Nick nodded before pulling out the camera and handing it to Sara. " Care to do the honors?" Sara gently took the camera from Nick's hands and began photographing the body from different angles.

Just as she was finishing up, David approached looking rather downtrodden. Nick gave a confused look to Sara before turning his attention back to David. " What's wrong super Dave?" David gave a slight shrug of the shoulders before moving to the same side of the table as Sara. " Just got back from Grissom and Catherine's scene. Dead boy. He was only five years old. Someone cut him up pretty bad while he was asleep." Sara stepped out of the way so that David could get to the body and do his job. " How is Catherine holding up?" David produces his liver thermometer before shrugging at Sara's question. " Pretty well. May be something to do with the fact that she is working the case with Grissom." Sara nodded again before opening her mouth to say something to Nick.

"Hey Nick, why don't you…"

Her words were lost on deaf ears as she looked up to spot Nick comforting a blonde, whom Sara immediately identified as Nora, in the corner. She rolled her eyes before moving to turn her attention back to David when a petite brunette in a purple dress caught her attention.

"I'm sorry miss. This is a crime scene. You really shouldn't be over here."

The woman snapped out of her stare and looked at Sara. " I just needed to see him." Sara moved from her place next to David over to the woman. As she drew closer, she could see the tearstains lining the brunette's cheeks and immediately felt sorry for her. " What's your name?" The brunette looked at Sara carefully, almost not registering the question. Sara was about to repeat it when the woman uttered a soft response.

" Sonia. Sonia Davison. I am, well was, Mitch's best man."

This caused Sara to raise an eyebrow. "Best man?" Sonia nodded. " Well, best woman. Mitch and I have been best friends for ten years." Sara watched as Sonia turned her attention back to David who was still carefully examining Mitchell's body. "Is he really…?" Sara nodded. "I'm sorry for your loss Miss Davison." Sara began to walk away when she heard Sonia utter something. Sara turned around and addressed her again.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Sonia nodded but kept her watery eyes on Mitchell. " Now I'll never get the chance to tell him."

" Tell him what?"

Sonia tore her eyes away from Mitchell to look Sara directly in the eyes.

" That I was head over heels in love with him."

**Reviews would be much appreciated. =)**

**Cait the Great x.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for reading everyone! It means a lot to me to get a few reviews here and there letting me know if the story is actually worth continuing. I was asked for the time frame that this took place and I was thinking sometime in Season 3, perhaps towards the end? Greg still works in the lab if that helps.**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing. =)**

When Brass returned, he found a very distracted looking Sara Sidle scrounging the ballroom for evidence and a rather irritated Nick Stokes going over the body. Brass gave a confused look and figured he would tackle Sara first. Approaching Sara he asked, " What bug is up his butt?" Sara continued to skim the floor before Brass waved a hand in front of her face, causing her to let out a surprised, "What?"

To say Brass was surprised was an understatement. The normally hard Sara Sidle was completely and utterly unfocused. " Did Greg poison your coffee or something?" Sara shook her head before looking at Nick and for the first time taking in just how angry he looked. She then turned her attention back to the captain. " His latest catch probably had to go home." "Someone sounds bitter." Sara shrugged her shoulders before kneeling down and pulling a swab out of her vest pocket. She proceeded to swab the small puddle by the table before looking at Brass. " Can you really blame me?"

Brass knelt down beside the distressed criminalist and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. " He'll come to his senses soon enough." Sara finished her swab and quickly capped it before uttering a soft response. " By that time it may be too late." Not looking to question her further, Brass got up from his position on the floor next to Sara and offered his hand to Sara who gratefully took it. " Did you get a chance to talk to the bride?" Brass watched Sara place the swab into a bag before responding to her question. " Well, I suppose if you define talking as talking through a door to the distressed bride, then yes, I suppose I did talk to her. I won't lie though, a little weird that the guy had a girl as his best man." Sara immediately looked at Brass with wide eyes. " You talked to Sonia?!" Brass pulled out his notebook and flipped a page before scanning his notes. He then nodded to Sara before placing his notebook away. " You talked to her?" Sara nodded, " I thought she was a figure of my imagination spiting me for not telling him." Brass let out an "oh" before placing his hands in his pocket.

"And how exactly did that work out for you?"

Sara glared at him before continuing her walk towards the mountain of presents, the one thing that seemed to be undisturbed by all the commotion of the evening. Brass gave a chuckle before turning his attention to Nick who was just finishing up with the body. " Find anything interesting?" Nick shook his head before approaching Brass. " Nothing that stood out. Dave said he'd get the bullets out of the body during the autopsy. If we can find the gun, we can match it to the bullets that went through Mitchell's chest." Nick then made a head movement towards Sara. " How's she doing?" Brass shook his head. " You know Stokes, I'm not your mediator. You could just ask her yourself." Nick threw his hands up in the air before directing one at Sara and raising his voice. " Why should I put forth the effort to get her to talk when all she ever does is let the walls she's built around herself down only to build them up again when one of us does one miniscule thing to upset her? I'm only human! I'm not perfect and neither is she!" Brass tried to motion with his hands to get Nick to calm down but it was too late.

"Well gee, Stokes, why don't you tell us how you really feel?" Brass watched the scene unfold, surprised that the built up tension between the two had remained under wraps for so long. " Well maybe I would say something if you even gave me the slightest chance to talk!" Sara let out a huff before placing both of her gloved hands on her hips. " You're actually blaming this on me?" Nick folded his arms over his chest and kept a defiant gaze on Sara. " Well this certainly isn't my fault."

"Like hell it isn't!"

Nick removed one arm from his chest before responding to Sara's statement. " So you're admitting that it was something I did that set you off?" Sara moved her hands from her waist to over her chest. " And what if I am?" Brass put up both hands, causing both parties to cease their argument. " This is a crime scene, not a playground. If you two want to tear each other apart, do it on your own time, not mine." Sara and Nick simply looked at each other before turning their attention back to Brass. Brass shook his head before giving both CSIs a wave of his hand and proceeding to exit the ballroom. Sara watched Brass go, trying desperately to cause her racing heart to calm down. She was ashamed by their behavior, and was sure Brass would say something to Grissom. Figuring the best thing to do was to get back to work, Sara continued to examine the wedding gifts. She spotted a bag near the back and pulled it closer to her in order to get a better look. Seeing something a bit out of place, Sara removed her small flashlight from her vest pocket and turned it on to get a better look at whatever was in the bag.

" Hey Nick?"

Nick looked up from his position by the entrance of the ballroom. " Yeah?" Sara reached her hand down into the bag only to remove it minutes later holding a gun. " Not exactly the kind of gift I would want for my wedding." Intrigued by Sara's statement, Nick crossed the floor to Sara who handed over the gun. " Possible murder weapon." Sara moved closer to the gift bag and put a hand to the tag and flipping it over so she could get a better look. " Possible suspects too. Nicole and Gregory Jensen." Sara took a hold of the bag and then looked at Nick who was surveying the gun. " Back to the lab then?" Nick nodded before the two grabbed their field kits and their bags of evidence and exited the ballroom.

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Grissom excused himself from the autopsy room after Doc Robins had given him a cause of death before running into Brass. " Captain Brass. I didn't think I would be seeing you for a few more hours." Brass shrugged his shoulders. " Guess you're just lucky." Grissom gave a smirk before removing the gloves from his hands. " So Jim, how can I help you?"

" I thought I had asked you for two crime scene investigators this evening."

Grissom raised an eyebrow at Brass's statement. He was certain he had assigned Nick and Sara to work Brass's case. " Weren't you working that case at the Tangiers?" Brass nodded before continuing. " Instead of criminalists from the second best lab in the country, you sent me two five-year olds whose behavior was more appropriate to a playground than my crime scene." If Grissom hadn't been interested before, Brass certainly held his attention now. " Five-year olds?" He knew Sara had been upset before shift but he didn't think she would actually let it affect her at a crime scene. " What exactly happened?" Brass started to lead Grissom down the hallway and exclaimed what had gone down between Nick and Sara at the Tangiers. "It was like once they started, they couldn't stop. If it had been any other officer but me Gil, they would've gone straight to the Sheriff and neither Sara nor Nick would still be employed here." Grissom let out a sigh. First Sara wanted a change in shift and now she and Nick were fighting at crime scenes? It was obvious to everyone that when Sara and Nick worked cases together they solved tough cases in record time, always refusing to relent until bringing justice to the victim and their family. He knew Jim was right, and the quicker he dealt with the entire situation, the quicker he could get back to work on his case with Catherine.

"Thanks for letting me know Jim. I'll go and talk to them."

Grissom started to head towards his office when Brass called his name causing him to turn around. " Be careful Gil. They were pretty riled up when I left them at the Tangiers. Things could turn ugly fast." Grissom let a thoughtful expression cross his face before nodding to Brass. " Consider me warned," Grissom stated before heading back into his office to figure out how to deal with two of his best criminalists and their unprofessional behavior.

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As soon as Nick and Sara returned to the lab, they both went to their separate ways. In the car they agreed to avoid each other until they were done working with their particular set of evidence. After dropping off blood samples and a few other things off to Greg, Sara proceeded into one of the processing rooms to start dusting the gun for prints. Just as she lifted a partial from the barrel of the gun, she heard a pair of footsteps enter the room. She looked up from her work, only to be surprised to see the owner of the footsteps was in fact Grissom and not Nick. " How's the case going?" Sara held up the newly lifted print off the gun and held it up for Grissom to see. " This partial is about the only lead we've gotten so far." Grissom leaned his body against the doorframe seeing if Sara would continue. When she didn't, he decided to take the initiative. " Do you want to tell me what happened at the Tangiers?" Sara knew it was coming, and sensed the impending lecture that was no doubt waiting to make its appearance. Sara turned her attention back to the gun. " I'm sure Brass already told you everything."

"I'd much rather hear it from you."

Sara stopped everything she was doing and just stared at the table. " The whole thing could've been avoided had you just given me what I asked for." Grissom moved away from the door and closer to the table. " You mean if I would've transferred you to a new shift." Sara felt the anger bubbling up inside her and before she knew it she had risen from her spot and slammed her hands down on the table. " Yes Grissom! If you had for one second considered that people actually have feelings that can make or break them, you would've understood exactly why I needed that shift change!" Grissom watched as Sara moved from her position at the table and began to pace behind the table. " So this is about Nick then?" Sara scoffed before whipping around to face Grissom. " Are you blind? This has always been about Nick!" Hearing the commotion, Catherine rushed into the room looking completely surprised.

" What in the world is going on in here?"

Sara now had her head leaning against the glass wall. Grissom turned his attention to over to Catherine. " Well besides informing me that I was blind, Sara was telling me why her and Nick got into a huge argument at the crime scene today." Catherine looked from Grissom to the brunette against the wall. " You and Nick argued? About what?" Sara sighed before facing Catherine, oblivious to Grissom in the room. " I can't do it anymore Cath." Catherine stepped a few feet closer to Sara, encouraging her to continue. " What can't you do anymore?" Sara shook her head, feeling the tears stinging her eyes but unwilling to let them fall. Catherine continued her approach towards Sara until she was standing in front of Sara. She placed a comforting hand on her arm before re-asking her question in a soothing tone.

"What can't you do anymore?"

Sara looked up, her tears remaining on the brink of spilling over at any moment. " I can't come in here every night and watch him flirt with other girls. I can't stand beside him, pretending that nothing is wrong. I can't be his best friend because I have feelings for him that a best friend shouldn't have. I just can't anymore Catherine. I won't put myself through it." Catherine gave Sara a reassuring rub on the arm. Grissom's voice now rang through the air, causing both women to recall his presence in the room. " Alright Sara, I'll authorize a change in shift for you." Sara looked at Grissom, not quite believing what she was hearing. " Really?" Grissom nodded before letting Sara know what was on his mind. " I may not be the people person that Catherine is, but I can understand when a person is hurting. I hope that whatever it is you need to bring the old Sara back, you find it with another shift." Sara gave Grissom a watery smile, relieved that he now understood her situation.

"Thank you so much Grissom."

Grissom gave Sara a small smile before leaving the two women alone in the room. Catherine removed her hand from Sara's arm and placed her arms over her chest. " A change in shift, huh?" Sara let out a sigh before returning to her seat at the table. "It's the only way I could think of that allowed me to stay in Vegas but also give me my much needed space." Catherine nodded before turning and starting towards the door. She stopped by the frame and turned to look at the brunette who was now re-examining her evidence. " I'll miss you Sidle. We were quite the dynamic duo." Sara looked up from the table and smiled at the blonde woman who she had come to call one of her best friends. " We'll always be a dynamic duo. Nothing will ever change that. Not even a shift change." Catherine smiled back at the brunette before exiting the room. Sara resumed her work dusting the handle of the gun for prints. What neither woman knew was that a third party had heard about the shift change and wasn't about to let the information go to waste.

**Reviews, por favor? It would simply make my day =)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Update: Sorry for the small wait! We had our CSI floor event on Friday and since I was one of the coordinators of the event, I was running all over the place! My shift clearly won ( GO SWING SHIFT! ). =) Anyways, I hope the chapter was worth the wait!A big thank you to everyone has been reading this story from the beginning! I really appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing besides a few things in my room such as notebooks and a really awesome purple and white pom-pom I got from the softball game yesterday.**

Walking past the processing room to deliver evidence to Sara, Greg had overheard the private conversation between the two women of Graveyard Shift. Having a reputation for being the lab gossip, Greg was not about to let his newly found information go to waste. He re-entered the lab and took a seat in his chair staring at the door, trying to will someone to come through the door. A few moments later, Warrick entered the room, completely engrossed with the case file in front of him.

"Warrick!"

Warrick looked up from his file to see Greg Sanders practically bouncing out of his seat. " What happened Sanders? Did you finally get some?" Greg ceased his bouncing to glare at Warrick. " Ha ha, very funny. For your information I get plenty, thank you." Warrick rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to the file in front of him. " Did you actually need something Greg?" Greg nodded his head eagerly before continuing with his thought. " You'll never believe what I just heard!" Warrick looked up at Greg and let out a large sigh before placing his case file onto the table by Greg. " I don't have time for your gossip man, I'm in the middle of a hot case. I would much rather know the results of that blood work I sent you." Not skipping a beat, Greg grabbed a piece of paper and handed it to Warrick.

"DNA is not a match to the victim. Anyways, guess who is getting a shift change!"

Warrick cursed under his breath. These were not the results he wanted. He then turned back to Greg. " I don't have time to play these guessing games with you Sanders. You just told me that my only suspect doesn't have the victim's blood on his clothes. Now's not really the best time." Greg gave him a pleading look. " Just one little guess!"

"Guess for what?"

Greg swiveled his chair around to see Nick enter the lab. Warrick turned to look at his long time friend. " Greg here says that someone is getting a shift change." Nick looked at Greg. "Greggo, you really need to lay off the gossip." Greg looked at Nick and then Warrick. He then turned his attention back to his microscope. " Well, if you guys don't want to know…" Nick let out a sigh before placing a hand to his forehead. " Just tell us Greg." Greg immediately perked up and smiled at Nick and Warrick. "Do you know who's getting a shift change?" Nick gave a sideways glance at Warrick before turning to Greg, trying to give the impression he was interested in what the lab tech had to say. "No G, but I'm sure you're gonna tell us."

Greg leaned forward in his chair and motioned for Nick and Warrick to do the same. Both boys let out a groan before slowly obliging to Greg's silent request. " I overheard Catherine and Sara talking in the processing room. It seems like little ol' Sara Sidle will be leaving us." Nick backed away and let out a chuckle at Greg's absurd statement. " Nice try Greg, but you and I both know that Sara loves her job and the people on Graveyard Shift. She would never even dream of switching." Greg shrugged and proceeded to fold his arms over his chest. " If you don't believe me, ask Catherine."

"Ask me what?"

The three boys turned around to see their blonde co-worker enter the lab. Nick folded his arms over his chest before responding to Catherine's question. " Greggo is under the impression that Sara is getting a shift change. Could you please tell him that he couldn't be more wrong?" Catherine's eyes widened in surprise before she turned her attention on Greg. " How did you hear about that?" Suddenly feeling nervous, Greg exclaimed, " I was on my way to the processing room to deliver evidence to Sara when I overheard the two of you talking about it." Catherine let out a small nod before turning her attention back to Nick and Warrick who were looking at her expectantly.

"It's true. After she finishes her case with Nick, she is transferring to Swing Shift."

Catherine checked both boys' expressions, surprised to find Nick's as unreadable. Warrick was the first one to speak. " Wow, who would've thought that the same Sara Sidle who never sleeps would give up working on Graveyard Shift. Did she even tell you why?" Catherine tore her eyes away from Nick who was staring off into space to look at Warrick. " I won't speak for Sara. If you want to know the "why", you'll have to talk to her yourself." As Catherine finished, she noticed Nick still hadn't said anything. She placed a concerned hand on his shoulder. "Nick…?" Nick looked up at Catherine, still unsure of what to make of the news.

"Are you okay?"

Nick slowly nodded before looking at the rest of the group. " I think I'm just going to go and talk to Sara." As Nick left the room, the group of three stood in silence before Warrick finally spoke up. " Damn that boy has it bad." Catherine turned in surprise to look at Warrick. " You mean…" When Warrick nodded, Catherine let out a small scoff. " How long?"

"Since he met her."

Catherine mouthed a "wow" before leaning up against one of the tables. " He certainly has a funny way of showing it." Warrick agreed and watched as the blonde shook her head gently. Warrick looked at Greg confusedly then turned his attention back to Catherine. " You look like you know something that we don't." Catherine moved her head up; closing her eyes and reaching a hand up to gently massage her temple.

"Sara is leaving because she thinks Nick doesn't feel the same way she does."

Both Greg's and Warrick's eyes seemed to pop out of their sockets. "Please tell me you're kidding." Catherine shrugged her shoulders before returning her hand to its position at her side and opening her eyes. "I wish I was."

"What are we going to do?" Greg asked the two CSIs in front of him. "I'm not sure there is much we can do," Warrick stated as he turned his attention to the young and outgoing lab tech. "Sara has made up her mind," Catherine chimed in. " We all know that when Sara makes a decision, she tends to stick to it and block out everything else." Greg frowned at both Warrick and Catherine's comment before looking at Catherine. "Come on Cath, you can't tell me that there is absolutely nothing that we can do." Catherine let out a long sigh. " This is something Nick and Sara need to handle on their own." Greg got up from his seat and approached her. " But if we don't do something, Sara may switch shifts and the two of them will never tell the other how they feel!" Catherine watched the young man plead his case but her mind was drawing a blank for a solution to their predicament. " I think we really need to leave this to fate, Greg. If it takes a shift change to get those two to see just how perfect they are for one another, than we'll just have to accept that."

"Couldn't we give fate a nudge?"

Catherine gave Greg a smile. " I think a few nudges are exactly what fate had in mind."

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Sara sat in the processing room, her elbow resting on the table with her head resting on her palm. She had been completely lost in her own thoughts when she heard someone clear their throat. Breaking from her reverie, she turned towards the doorway to see the new secretary standing there looking way to awake for this time of night. "You have a visitor in the lobby, Miss Sidle." Sara gave a slight nod before getting up from her chair and following the secretary out of the room. As she was leaving, she heard a pair of footsteps to her left.

"Sara!"

Sara turned to see Nick standing in the hallway with a mixed expression of confusion and hurt plastered on his face. Sara gave one look at him before turning around and heading into the lobby, leaving an emotionally wounded Nick in the hallway. She wasn't quite ready to deal with him. It wasn't that she didn't want to; it was more the fact that she was unsure she would be able to keep her emotions at bay.

She entered the lobby and was surprised to see a rather nervous looking Sonia waiting for her. Upon seeing Sara, Sonia immediately stood up, clutching her purse firmly to her side. " Miss Davison, I didn't expect to see you here." Sonia swallowed hard before looking down at the floor. " I really didn't expect to end up here." Sara motioned for her to sit back down and Sonia quickly obliged before Sara took the seat next to her. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?" Sonia slowly nodded before looking up at Sara.

"I didn't tell Brass everything at the Tangiers."

Sara looked confused. "What didn't you tell him?" Sara watched Sonia have an internal struggle with herself before finally taking a deep breath and speaking. " I caught them together."

"Who?"

Sonia looked straight ahead, not daring to look at Sara. "Mindy and Jonathan." Very quickly, Sara recognized that Sonia was speaking about the bride as well as one of Mitchell's groomsmen. "What happened?" Sonia continued to stare ahead as she relayed the story to the criminalist.

"It was the rehearsal dinner. We were downstairs and Mindy had been gone for a while. Mitch was starting to get worried so he asked me to go check on her. I took the elevator to her room and knocked lightly. When I didn't receive a response, I noticed that the door was slightly ajar. I slowly opened it only to discover Mindy and Jon locked in a passionate kiss. I remember letting out a gasp, which caused them to look up at me. I felt the need to run downstairs and tell Mitchell exactly what I had seen but for some reason, I was rooted to the spot. Mindy untangled herself from Jonathan and approached me."

Sonia then paused for a minute to look at Sara who was completely engrossed in the story. " I'll never forget what went down after that." Sonia took another deep inhalation before slowly letting it all out before continuing.

" Mindy brought me over to the bed and sat me down. Jon walked over to the dresser and pulled something out of the top drawer. I was too scared to look over and see what it was. He then came and sat down on the bed on the opposite side of me. I felt him place the object to my head, and when I heard the click, I knew it was a gun. Mindy threatened me. She told me if I told anyone that she and Jon would blow my brains out instead."

Sonia now had tears rolling down her face. She let out a sob causing Sara to get up and grab a tissue from the box on the secretary's desk and handing it to her. Sonia hesitantly took the Kleenex and began to dab at her eyes. " I guess I never registered that they had said "instead" until after Mitchell had been shot." Sara leaned forward in her chair, clasping her hands together. "You think Jon and Mindy planned to kill Mitchell all along?" Sonia nodded her head. " There is no doubt in my mind. Mitchell's family is insanely rich. A girl like Mindy wasn't in it because she loved Mitchell. She was in it because she loved his money." Sara looked at Sonia. " Do you know where Jon and Mindy are now?"

"Gone I would assume."

Sara placed a comforting hand on Sonia's still shaking one. "This has helped so much Sonia. I know this much be heartbreaking for you, but you may have just helped us solve Mitchell's murder." Sara got up from her chair, determined to find Brass when Sonia's voice called her back. Sara turned around and Sonia slowly approached her.

"You should really tell whoever he is until it's too late."

Sara's mouth dropped, reminding Sonia of a fish out of water. "How did you know?" Sonia gave Sara a small smile. "The look on your face. It was the same one I saw in the mirror every day for ten years." Sara managed to close her mouth and focused on Sonia. "Guess I should be careful on what emotions I let slip onto my face, huh?" Sonia smiled again before heading for the door. She pushed opened the door a little before looking back at Sara.

"Tell him."

Sara watched Sonia leave feeling like her eyes had finally been opened to the entire situation. She now knew exactly what she needed to do. First thing was first though. She needed to find Brass to help put Mitch's family, as well as Sonia's mind at peace. Nick would have to wait.

**Reviews would be wonderful!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the long wait! This week has been insanely hectic and it's only going to get worse. I'll do my best to update, but at the moment I'm not sure how soon that will be. Anyways, enjoy the chapter and thank you all for continuing to read and review! I really appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own much. =)**

After finding Brass, Sara explained the situation to him and Brass agreed to find the missing groomsmen and bride. Sara then wandered back into the lab looking for Nick. She couldn't wait another minute to tell him how she was feeling and hoping that he possibly felt the same way. As she entered the lab, Greg immediately jumped up.

"Sara!"

Sara looked around the room and sighed when she discovered that Nick was not in there. She then turned to look at Greg. " Have you seen Nick?" Greg shook his head and opened his mouth to speak when Sara let out a frustrated groan and left the room. Grabbing the results from her evidence, Greg quickly got up and scampered to the door. " Don't you want your evidence?" Sara turned to look at Greg and shook her head before continuing down the hallway.

She finally found Nick in her previous processing room staring at the table absentmindedly. She couldn't help but smile when she saw his distant look. It was one of the small quirks she loved about him and simply made Nick, well Nick.

"Hey."

Nick snapped out of his reverie to see his best friend standing at the door, practically glowing. It was such a change from the Sara he had been dealing with earlier. However, despite her good mood, Nick could not seem to get the whole shift change out of his head and really needed to talk with her about it. " Do you think we could talk?" Sara nodded at Nick's question before taking the seat next to him. " I actually had something I wanted to talk to you about as well." Before Sara could continue, Nick held up a hand causing Sara to stop. " I already know." Sara's eyes widened. She hadn't been expecting Nick to know her big secret. " You know?"

"Catherine told me."

This threw Sara for a loop. Catherine, someone whom she had trusted, had gone and told Nick the one thing she wanted to keep hidden from him. Sara forced herself to take a deep breath. Nick still hadn't told her how he felt about her. Depending on how Nick responded, Sara would either be killing Catherine later or giving her the biggest hug in the world. " So, what do you think about it?" Without warning, Nick got out of his chair and began to pace behind the chairs. " What do I think about it? I'm appalled that you would even think that was okay!"

Sara's face fell and her chest began to tighten. She was going to say something, but once again Nick cut her off. " I mean you expect me to just be happy about this and accept it? I cannot even begin to describe how angry I am Sar! We're supposed to be best friends!" By this time, Sara had also gotten out of her seat and was standing facing Nick with a defiant stance. " We are best friends Nick! That's why I thought you might understand!" The look on Nick's face quickly changed into something that wanted to send Sara ducking for cover.

"Understand? Understand! You can't seriously expect me to understand something so stupid!"

Now Sara's own anger was beginning to rise to the surface. " Stupid? You think it's stupid?" Nick folded his arms over his chest and returned the same glare that Sara was giving him. " There are no other words to describe that kind of stupidity." Sara now got right up into Nick's face. " You want to know what's stupid Stokes? You. You make the dumbest decisions when it comes to your personal life! You want to know what I really think about Nora? She is as dumb as a rock! I don't even think she knows that 2+2 is 4!"

In an instant, Nick had Sara pinned against the wall by her wrists. Both parties were breathing heavily due to their frustration and anger with the other. "Leave Nora out of this." Sara hardened her gaze. " Why should I? You and I both know it's true. She must have caught your attention somehow. It certainly wasn't her brain, so what was it Nick? Was it her long legs? Her big boobs? Or was it the fact that she put out easily?" Nick gripped Sara's wrists tighter. Although her brain was registering the pain, Sara was too stubborn to back away from the situation. Nick knew how she felt about him and he was shoving it back in her face.

" I'm warning you Sara. Leave Nora out of this."

Nick's increased anger seemed to only increase Sara's confidence level. " Was it the same thing for Rachel? What about Lucy? Oh, and we certainly can't forget about Beth and Margarite. They were all such a party, I don't even think I could pick my favorite! What about you Nick? Were they all just as easy as Nora?"

"Damn it Sara!"

Nick released her wrists and walked to the other side of the room. After Nick released her Sara finally allowed herself to register the pain in her wrists. She grabbed a hold of one of them and began to massage it gently. Her pager began to buzz and Sara lifted it from her waist to see who it was. Seeing it was Jackie, she replaced the pager and looked at Nick who still had his back turned to her. " It's probably a good thing that we got the truth out in the open now and not later." When Nick didn't respond, Sara continued. " It's good to know how much I repulse you. It makes it so much easier to leave." Sara then exited the room leaving Nick alone with his thoughts.

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Catherine and Warrick stood in the hallway discussing their case when Sara came into the hall, nearly knocking the both of them over. Catherine raised an eyebrow at Sara as she walked in to meet Jackie and then looked to Warrick. " Well, that wasn't normal."

"You mean Sara practically running us over? You can say that again."

Catherine watched as Sara interacted with Jackie, her face practically unreadable. " You don't think she ran into Nick, do you?" Warrick shrugged his shoulders. " Nick was pretty upset when he left the lab. I'm pretty sure that theory may not be too far off from the truth." Catherine let out a sigh. " Great. I'll go try and hunt down Nick." Catherine left Warrick and began to wander down the halls of the crime lab. She first popped into the lab where Greg sat flipping through a surfer magazine. " Hey Greg, have you seen Nick?" Greg made a face before looking up at Catherine. " Why is everyone looking for Nick? I mean, I'm just as popular as Nick. Why can't people come in here looking for me?"

" You mean I'm not the only one looking for Nick?"

Greg rolled his eyes since Catherine had ignored his comment and returned his attention back to his magazine. " Sara came in here maybe 25 minutes ago and asked me the exact same question." Catherine approached the lab tech and placed her hands on the table. " Well by the looks of things, I would say she found him." Greg looked up again at the blonde woman. " What do you mean?" Catherine took a deep breath before explaining to Greg how Sara had almost run herself and Warrick over in the hallway on her way to see Jackie. "Maybe she hit a hot spot on her case?" Catherine shook her head. " I don't think so Greg. This wasn't a determined walk, it was more of an angry walk."

Greg nodded before looking back at his magazine. " So you think she and Nick exchanged a few words." Catherine leaned against the table. " Definitely. Now if only I could find out what was said." Catherine bid Greg farewell before continuing her search to find the young CSI. Not long after she started, she found him located in the processing room staring at his hands.

" I heard you talked to Sara."

Nick gave a small nod and Catherine moved so that she could take the seat next to him. " Want to tell me what happened?"

" I hurt her Cath."

Catherine slung an arm over Nick's shoulder hoping to provide him with a little comfort. " Sara's a strong girl, Nick. I'm sure you didn't bruise her ego too badly." Nick shook his head. " No Catherine, I physically hurt her. She started saying something about Nora and I grabbed her wrists and pinned her against the wall." Catherine moved her hand from Nick's shoulder to his back where she began to rub comforting circles on his back hoping to allow the young man to calm down. " I'm sure Sara knew you didn't mean it." Nick looked over at his co-worker and the expression on his face was enough to break Catherine's heart. "I wanted to confront her about the shift change and I told myself I would be calm but my anger got the best of me. I told her how stupid she was and how pissed it made me and she started to attack me with thing about Nora and some other girls. It was like we weren't even talking about the same thing." Catherine quit rubbing circles and blinked a few times. " What do you mean?" Nick got out of his seat and walked to the far end of the room, gently pinching the bridge of his nose. " She told me I was only with all of those girls because they were easy. She doesn't even know that I only date those girls because…" Nick stopped and Catherine got up from the table as well and approached Nick. " Because why?" Nick turned around and removed his fingers from the bridge of his nose.

" Because I can't have her Cath."

Although Warrick had told Catherine before, it was nice to hear Nick confirm it himself. "Does Sara know?" Nick shook his head. " She would never go out with someone like me. I mean not only is she beautiful but she's got quite a mind to boot. And now she thinks I find her repulsive." That caused Catherine to raise an eyebrow. " You called her repulsive? No offense Nicky, but that's not exactly the way to a woman's heart." Nick shook his head again. " I didn't call her repulsive. She said it was easier for her to leave now knowing how repulsive I found her." Catherine let out a surprised gasp as the pieces finally all fell together. She placed a hand over her mouth. " Oh my god. She actually told you." Nick gave Catherine a confused look. " Told me what?" Catherine didn't hear Nick. " I need to go talk to Sara." Nick placed his hands on Catherine's shoulders in order to get her attention. " What did she tell me?" Catherine shook her head furiously. " I promised I would keep it to myself."

"Catherine if you know something that will help me get her back, I'm all ears."

"She's in love with you." Catherine and Nick both turned around to see Grissom standing at the door. Catherine's mouth dropped. " Gil!" Nick looked at Grissom then back at Catherine. " She's in love with me?" Catherine nodded her head. Nick couldn't believe his ears. " How long?" Catherine shrugged Nick's hands off her shoulders. " A long time." Grissom leaned against the door frame. "You are the reason she's leaving." Nick looked from Catherine to Grissom this time. " I need to go talk to her. I need to let her know that the entire thing was a misunderstanding." Nick started towards the door but Grissom stopped him. " She's in interrogation right now. As soon as she's finished with Brass, she's gone." Nick looked back at Grissom. " Then what am I supposed to do?" Catherine's eyes widened. " I think I have an idea, but it's going to take all of us to get it to work."

**Reviews would be wonderful! =)**


	6. Chapter 6

**So, I wrote this at about 3:00 this morning sitting in our field house for Relay For Life. Staying up for almost 24 hours (give or take 30 minutes or so) is definitely not a good thing, but I'm pretty sure this chapter makes sense. =) There will still be one more chapter after this one. Once again, thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing and still wishing I owned George Eads.**

It had been a week since Sara had switched to Swing Shift and she had yet to hear from any of her former team members. She wasn't about to complain, she knew they were busy with their own work and it had been her own choice to switch. She still couldn't help but feel a little disheartened however, due to the fact that she felt like the Graveyard Shift had become like her family, and not a single one of them had put forth an effort to keep in contact with her. As she sat in the break room awaiting her next assignment, she couldn't help but wish she was sitting with Catherine, Grissom, Warrick, and even Nick instead of the four total strangers she was now seated with. She had tried to play nice with them, but it became very obvious that these people wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. The sound of their supervisor entering the room broke Sara from her trance. " Assignments people," Jen Annoni stated as she looked at the slips in her hand. " Megan and Ruth you have a DB out in the middle of nowhere. Charlie and Benjamin, you have a DB at the Bellagio and Sidle, you have been requested by Gil Grissom of Graveyard Shift." This caused Sara to look up.

"Grissom what?"

Jen walked over and helped Sara out of her seat, seeing as she was in a small state of shock. " I'll explain on the way over. We need to get a move on though. They are about ready to start a triple." Sara dutifully followed her new supervisor, her mind jumbled with thoughts of why Grissom would need her to help him with a case. Her thoughts were broken when they arrived at Grissom's door and Jen gave three sharp raps on the door. She heard Grissom's voice offer a "Come in" and Jen opened the door. Grissom was in his usual spot; sitting in his chair with his glasses perched on the edge of his nose and his face buried in a case file. He looked up as Jen and Sara entered. " Ah, thank you Supervisor Annoni. I'll take it from here." Jen nodded and exited the room leaving Sara and Grissom alone. Sara looked at her old supervisor suspiciously. " A special request?" Grissom nodded and shut the case file in front of him before leaning back in his chair. " My guys are getting tired Sara. I need fresh eyes. Eyes that I know I can trust." Sara nodded, now seeing why Grissom would prefer her to anyone in Ecklie's shift or even her current shift. " What would you like me to do?"

" You can start by gathering up the last bit of evidence we sent to Greg about an hour ago."

Sara gave a swift nod and headed towards the door. " Oh, and Sara?" Sara turned around. " Yeah Griss?" Grissom leaned forward in his chair and re-opened his case file before responding back to Sara. " It's good to have you back." Sara offered a smile to Grissom. " It's good to be back, even if it is only for a short while." Exiting the office, Sara began her search to find Greg.

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Sara walked down the hallway on her way to the lab to see Greg. When she got there, she noticed that all the lights were on, but there was no one to be seen. She entered the well-lit room and peered around, trying to decipher if Greg was simply doing something that he shouldn't be. " Greg?" When she couldn't find the young lab tech she walked over to where he normally sat seeing if Greg may have left the evidence sitting out. She spotted a piece of paper by the microscope and moved to pick it up. " Must be the results Grissom was waiting on." She flipped the paper over expecting to see a few graphs, but instead all she saw was a large letter "I" on the paper. A confused look crossed Sara's face as she stared at the paper and started towards the door when she ran into someone entering the room. " Sidle?" Sara looked up and her face immediately brightened when she saw who it was. " Warrick!"

"Dang girl, I feel like I haven't seen you in ages! How's Swing Shift treating you?"

Sara shrugged her shoulders. " It's definitely not Graveyard Shift, that's for sure." Warrick let out a chuckle. " I'll bet. What are you doing around here anyways?" Sara proceeded to explain to Warrick how Grissom had pulled her away from Swing Shift in order to help out with their case. Warrick gave an understanding nod of his head. " Well, since you are here to help out, would you mind giving Cath and I some help in the processing room? We've been staring at the same piece of evidence for hours now and we just can't put the puzzle together." Sara folded the piece of paper up and placed it in her pocket. "Well, since Greg's not here, I can't exactly retrieve Grissom's evidence. Besides, I'm here to help you guys out. Lead the way." Warrick smiled before ushering Sara out of the room. " Perfect."

Within a few minutes, Sara and Warrick had entered the processing room where Catherine seemed to be mulling over something on the table. " Hey Cath, take a look at what Grissom dragged in." Catherine looked up from the evidence on the table and smiled at the brunette. " Sara Sidle! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" Sara smiled at Catherine. She had missed the female companionship that Catherine had offered when she was still on Graveyard Shift. She had come to the realization that the entire thing hadn't actually been Catherine's fault, and that Nick had chosen his own path. "From what I hear from Grissom, it's right about now that those eyes should be getting sore. I can't believe you guys are about to pull a triple!" Catherine gave a small smile before enveloping the younger woman in a hug. " That's not important. How have you been?" Sara shrugged her shoulders as she removed herself from the hug. " I've been better." Catherine gave a knowing nod. "Anything I can do to help?"

" You can help by letting me help you. Where is this evidence that you and Warrick have been having trouble with?" Catherine playfully rolled her eyes before leading her over to the table where four small tiles with the letters VLEO were laying. " We found these tiles at the vic's house right around where he was killed. They appear to be Scrabble tiles of some sort." Sara glanced down at the tiles before giving a small smile and rearranging them. " You guys must seriously be tired." Catherine raised a confused eyebrow. " What do you mean?"

"Your tiles? They spell the word LOVE."

Catherine peeked at Sara's work before letting out an "Oh". "Why didn't I see that before?" Sara slung an arm over her friend's shoulder. " You're just starting a triple and you are seriously asking that question? Don't worry about it Catherine, you just needed some fresh eyes and that's what I'm here for." Sara continued to give Catherine a small squeeze before removing her arm. " Anything else you guys need?" Warrick shook his head. " I think we're good for now. Thanks Sara." Sara nodded. " Well, I'm going to go find Grissom. Find out what he wants me to do until Greg gets back. Just give me a call if you guys need me, alright?" Catherine nodded as Sara left before turning her attention back to Warrick. " How did I do?" Warrick gave Catherine a smile. " I'd say she bought it; hook, line, and sinker." Catherine returned the smile before looking back down at the properly arranged tiles. " I just hope that Nick is able to convince her that the whole thing was just a big misunderstanding."

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Sara was now treading a similar path back to Grissom's office. As she walked past the lab she had to stop and backtrack when she noticed that Grissom was inside with a piece of paper in his hand. She entered the lab and gestured to the piece of paper in his hand. " Is that your evidence from Greg?" Grissom shook his head. " I just received this, but I've forgotten my glasses and the print is too small for me to read." Sara took the paper from Grissom's hand and squinted at the miniscule writing. " It says turn off the lights and look up." Before Sara could protest, Grissom proceeded to turn off the lights in the lab causing Sara to look up. There, on the lab ceiling, written in glow-in-the dark stars was the word "YOU". Sara gave the word a thoughtful look. Sara thought back to the paper in her pocket and the tiles in Catherine's processing room before looking at the stars again. " I love you."

" I think that pretty much sums it up."

Sara recognized the voice immediately. It was hard to forget when every feature of someone so important to you was ingrained in your memory. Sara turned around to see Nick standing in the light of the door, dressed to the nines in a white dress shirt and a pair of black dress pants with a single rose in his right hand. " What are you doing Nick?" Nick took a step inside the room and flipped on the light switch allowing Sara to really take in his physique. " I want to talk to you," Nick stated as he took a step closer to Sara, not wanting to scare her off before he got out what he needed to say. " The last time we talked Nick, things didn't turn out so hot." Nick took another step forward offering Sara the rose, which she slowly took from his outstretched hand. " What if I told you the last talk was a huge misunderstanding?" Sara raised the rose to her nose and inhaled its fresh scent, hoping it might help calm her racing heart. She brought the rose back down to her midsection and looked at Nick. " I would tell you that that would make a lot of sense." Another step closer to Sara, Nick continued. " And if I told you I was trying to explain my frustration over your shift change?" Sara now took a step closer to Nick. " I would inform you that I was talking about something completely different." Nick let a smile grace his face, which caused Sara to smile as well. " So Sidle, let's try to do this the right way. A conversation, about the same topic." Sara felt like her heart had now skipped several beats but she wasn't about to stop this conversation. " And what would the topic be?"

" What our feelings are towards one another."

Sara took a deep breath as she waited for Nick to continue. " Let's examine the evidence shall we?" Sara nodded and Nick took another step closer to her. " The evidence is telling me that I, Nick Stokes, am head over heels in love with you and I think that you, Sara Sidle, may feel the same way." Sara took a final step towards Nick causing the space between them to be almost non-existent. Despite the closeness, Sara kept her eyes glued to Nick's. " I think that's a pretty bold statement Stokes." Nick leaned in closer to Sara, their lips inches away from one another. " Well you know what Grissom says…" Sara's eyes now darted between Nick's eyes and his lips before she uttered a soft response. " The evidence never lies."

" Exactly."

Nick then closed the distance between himself and Sara. Within that one kiss lay all the frustration they had once held for each other as well as a promise for what could lie ahead in their future. Neither Nick nor Sara could wait to find out just what lay ahead in that future.

**Reviews would be awesome! =D**


	7. Epilogue

**Sorry it took so long to get this up! I have had an absolutely terrible and hectic week and it has not really been conducive to writing. I am considering writing another Nick and Sara story, but only if you guys think it would be a good idea. It would be more of a Nick and Sara in college-type story, so let me know what you think about that. If you guys do decide it would be a good idea, it probably won't go up until after finals on the 20th, or after I get back from my choir tour in Greece on June 4th. Enjoy the last chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Still own squat, especially since we have started to clean out my dorm room. Que triste!**

6 months later…

Nick stood in the locker room, tossing a few things in his locker when Warrick and Catherine entered the room after wrapping up their own case. Warrick opened his locker and quickly changed his shirt before striking up a conversation with his colleagues. "So Nick, planning on attending the annual police ball tonight?" Nick closed his locker and turned around to face his friend. " The Sheriff threatened us all with our jobs if we didn't show up." Warrick chuckled. " This is true."

"Besides, Grissom would probably bore us to death with a lecture if we didn't show up to represent the team."

This caused Nick to receive a pointed look from Catherine. Nick raised up his hands in mock defense. "I'm just stating facts Cath." Catherine rolled her eyes before turning back around and tossing her gun inside her locker. "Just don't let Gil hear you say that, or you'll be getting more than one lecture." Nick raised an eyebrow. "More than one?" Catherine didn't turn around and replied to Nick's question. "Yeah, one from him and one from me." Warrick decided to chime in on the conversation. " So does this mean you're going with Grissom?" Catherine turned around to look at the boys. " And what if I am?" Nick let out a smirk as he settled himself on the bench in between the two rows of lockers. "Relax Cath. We're happy for you. It was just some harmless teasing." Wanting to take the topic off herself and Grissom, Catherine turned her attention to Warrick. "What about you Warrick?" Are you taking anyone special?" Warrick shook his head. " I'm hoping to find a sweet honey of my own when I get there." Catherine gave Warrick a smile before turning back to her locker. Warrick finished up with his own locker and gently shut it before taking the seat next to Nick. "No need to ask whom you're going with. I'm sure you asked Sidle weeks ago." Nick shook his head. "I'm not taking Sidle." There was a slam of a locker door, as Catherine turned around, her mouth agape. "You're what?" Nick looked from Warrick's confused face to Catherine's surprised one. " I'm not taking Sidle. I'm bringing someone else."

Warrick looked at Nick, trying to read the young man before turning to Catherine who could hardly utter a response. Sara and Nick had not been happier in the past few weeks so the news that Nick was not in fact going with Sara baffled him. " Who are you bringing?" Nick gave a smile before standing up from the bench and heading towards the door. " That's for me to know, and you to find out." Nick then left the room leaving a confused Warrick and stunned Catherine behind. Catherine finally broke out of her shock and looked at the door Nick had just left through. " I never even knew they broke up." Warrick nodded his head. " There was no evidence to suggest they had. Must have been a mutual split I guess." Catherine cast her eyes downward and let out a sigh. "After all that we did to get those two together, I just can't believe it. They are perfect for one another." Warrick got up from the bench and placed a comforting hand on Catherine's shoulder. "Maybe the match wasn't as perfect as we thought." Catherine nodded. "Guess we can't dwell on it. I'll see you later tonight, I guess." Warrick gave a little wave of his hand as Catherine exited the locker room.

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The police ball was in full swing by the time Warrick arrived dressed in a classic black tux. It didn't take him long to spot Catherine who was clad in a white evening gown, her blonde curls framing her face, standing next to Grissom whom was dressed similarly to himself. He approached the couple and there was a brief exchange of pleasantries before Warrick asked the question that had been bugging him all day. " Any sign of Nick and his mysterious date?" Catherine shook her head. "I haven't seen him or Sara. Maybe Sara took the break up harder than we thought." Warrick raised an eyebrow. " I cannot see Sara Sidle sitting in her apartment with a tub of Ben & Jerry's watching sappy love movies." Catherine shrugged her shoulders. "So it was a little far-fetched, sue me. But if I am right, you will owe me a serious apology." Neither party noticed Grissom scanning the crowd looking for his other team members. He spotted Greg easily enough by the open bar chatting up a rather short blonde while Brass was chatting with the mayor by the tables on the far end of the banquet hall. That's when he spotted them on the dance floor; her strapless red dress matching perfectly with his red tie. A few tendrils were falling from her up do, as the two laughed. Grissom was quite sure he had never seen the pair looking happier than what they were right at that moment in time.

" I swear if he brings that bitchy Tangiers waitress, I will personally kick his ass to Timbuktu."

Grissom turned at Catherine's comment. " I don't think you need to worry about that." Catherine offered a confused look at Grissom who simply pointed to Sara and Nick on the dance floor as the number was drawing to a close. Catherine's mouth fell open. " I thought he said he wasn't taking Sara?" Catherine took a hold of her dress and started towards the couple before responding to Warrick. " I'm not about to wait to find out why he lied us." Warrick was close behind, followed by a grinning Grissom. Sara was laughing and Nick was beaming at her when the three members of Graveyard shift approached them. Nick turned his attention to his three co-workers, offering them a large grin. " Hey guys! Haven't seen you all night!" Catherine placed her hands on her hips and was about to say something when Warrick beat her to punch. " What gives Stokes? You told us you weren't bringing Sara!"

"No, you asked me if I was bringing Sidle and I didn't."

Catherine now chimed in. " So you're telling me that you did not come here with Sara Sidle." Nick looked at Sara. " For CSIs, they are pretty unobservant people, wouldn't you say Mrs. Stokes?" Sara grinned up at her husband. " I would have to agree with you Mr. Stokes." Grissom and Warrick were now grinning ear to ear, and Catherine was so excited she could hardly form coherent sentences. "But….I…..you got…..when?" Sara let out a giggle. " It was a spontaneous decision a few weeks ago. Nick asked me if I wanted to get married and I agreed so we drove to one of the local chapels and eloped. We do live in Vegas after all, what's more classic than that?" Catherine was still in shock. " You have been married for a few weeks and you haven't told us?" Sara looked up at Nick who had since placed a gentle hand on her lower back. Nick gave a small smile before responding to Catherine. " We figured we would have a more traditional wedding in a few months. My parents were none too thrilled when I told them I had eloped, but they seemed to soften a considerable amount when they found out it was to Sara. However, they demanded that we do things the right way in a few months, thus the need for another wedding." Catherine then pulled Sara in for a hug and Sara couldn't help but smile into the embrace. " I am so happy for you!"

"Thanks Catherine. I'm glad you understand."

Catherine released the brunette from the embrace and then placed both hands on Sara's shoulders. " If you need any help, any help at all, you just let me know." Sara grinned at Catherine. " Well, I do sort of need someone to be my maid or honor, however if you don't want to…" Before Sara could finish, her blonde co-worker engulfed her in yet another hug. " I would love to!"

" Could you possibly let go of my wife? I think you may be suffocating her."

Catherine moved out of her hug with Sara to lightly hit Nick on the chest before enveloping him in a hug of his own. " I am so proud of you Nicky." Nick smiled as Catherine left the hug before he felt a pat on the back from Warrick. " Congratulations man. I better be getting one of those invites." Nick reached out to shake hands with Warrick. " What best man wouldn't earn an invite to his best friend's wedding?" Warrick grinned before moving over to Sara, " If he hurts you, you call me up. I'll give him a good-ass kickin' for you." Sara laughed before hugging Warrick. " You can count on it." Grissom was the last to offer his congratulations to the couple. " I'm sure you two will be letting me know when you need the time off for the honeymoon?" Nick nodded. " You'll be the first to know." Grissom gave them both a nod before walking with Catherine back to one of the many tables lining the banquet hall. Catherine let out a contented sigh. " Who would have thought that all of this resulted from a shift change." Grissom shook his head before slinging an arm over Catherine's shoulder and pulling her closer.

" It was no change of shift that brought them together. It was a change of heart."

**Reviews would be much appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	8. Author's Note! Please Read!

As I'm sure many of you know, the season premiere of C.S.I. Season 10 was on last night (I was conflicted over watching C.S.I. and Grey's, but since my roommate watched Grey's and not C.S.I., that was what was on in our room. I know, sinful, isn't it?) If you did happen to catch the premiere, you would have known that all hope that Snickers fans had was pretty much washed away by the chatter of Sara and the other C.S.I.s about Sara and Grissom being married (Epic fail in my opinion, however, I'm just glad to have Sara back for a little bit).

My friend and Nikki were so disappointed to have our dreams taken from us, as well as the little bit of hope we had going in, that we are considering re-writing our own version of Season 10 to favor those Snickers fans out there that were hoping Sara's return would bring herself and Nick together. Before we did this, I wanted to see what you guys thought. I figured we would keep the cases themselves the same, but focus more on the interactions outside of the cases (I'm sure no one wants to re-read a case that they had already seen, but if I'm wrong on that too, please let me know and Nikki and I will reconsider our thinking.)

The quicker the responses we get, the more quickly we can get started on the first episode and "snicker-fying" it (Totally not a word, but it is now!).

Thank you so much!

Xoxo

Cait


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